Chapter 6 - The Secret in Maya's Birth FileI couldn't breathe.
“My husband knew?”
Isabella nodded.
“He suspected.”
“Of what?”
“That your daughter wasn't ordinary.”
I almost laughed.
Maya was three.
She loved pancakes.
She hated socks.
She slept holding a stuffed rabbit with one ear missing.
There was nothing extraordinary about her.
Isabella seemed to read my thoughts.
“Not ordinary biologically.”
My stomach turned.
She looked at Alessandro.
“I told you the truth would destroy everything.”
He stared at her.
“You left me.”
“I was trying to protect them.”
“Who?”
She didn't answer.
The aircraft suddenly dropped several feet.
Passengers screamed.
Maya woke.
“Mommy?”
I pulled her close.
“I'm here.”
She looked at the strangers.
Then at Luca.
“Baby?”
“Yes.”
Maya reached toward him.
Something strange happened.
Luca stopped moving.
He turned his head toward her.
The two children looked at each other.
And then Luca smiled.
Maya smiled back.
Isabella whispered:
“They recognize each other.”
My skin prickled.
“How?”
“They were together.”
“When?”
“In the nursery.”
I shook my head.
“Maya was never in the same nursery.”
“She was.”
“No.”
Isabella stared at me.
“They erased it.”
My daughter suddenly began humming.
A lullaby.
A melody I had never taught her.
Isabella's face went white.
“You know that song?”
I nodded.
“She sings it every night.”
“Who taught her?”
“I thought she made it up.”
Isabella whispered:
“I sang it to my son.”
The room went silent.
Alessandro turned to her.
“Where did you learn it?”
“My mother.”
Then she looked at me.
“And your daughter learned it because someone played it for both children.”
A horrible thought entered my mind.
I remembered Maya's first months.
She used to wake crying at exactly 2:17 a.m.
Every night.
I had always blamed colic.
But what if someone had trained her body to expect something?
The bodyguard approached.
“Sir.”
Alessandro looked at him.
“We found something in the cockpit.”
He handed over a tablet.
There was a file open.
A photograph.
Maya.
Sleeping in our Ohio home.
The image had been taken yesterday.
I couldn't speak.
Another photograph appeared.
Our bedroom.
Our kitchen.
My husband.
And then one of Maya sitting beside me.
The date was four months ago.
I had never noticed a camera.
Alessandro took the tablet.
His expression became murderous.
“Who gave this to you?”
The guard pointed to the captain.
The captain laughed.
“He didn't.”
Alessandro turned.
“Then who?”
The captain finally spoke.
“Your enemy isn't on this plane.”
He looked at me.
“Your enemy is in Rome.”
I felt my stomach collapse.
My cousin's apartment.
That was where Maya and I were supposed to go.
My cousin had told me she'd been waiting for us.
She had sent the address.
I suddenly remembered something.
She had known our arrival time.
Exactly.
Alessandro saw the realization on my face.
“What?”
I whispered:
“She's expecting us.”
“Who?”
“My cousin.”
The aircraft shook again.
Then the captain looked at the clock.
And smiled.
“You have twelve minutes.”
“Until what?”
He didn't answer.
Instead, he looked at Maya.
May you like
And whispered:
“Until they erase the second child.”
